Find Me
by Phoenix073109
Summary: Will Castle and Beckett's love story be stopped short before it has a chance to truly start? The duo is on the verge of catching a killer who manages to find one of them first. Bear in mind I am a hopeless romantic! CHAPTER 10 NOW UP.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own Castle...**

**This is my first fan fic...hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Find Me<span>**

She sat shivering in the late evening rain, on the curb in front of his apartment building. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the rain pelt at her face. The cold drops blended with the warm tears that had recently escaped and begun their slow descent toward her jaw line. Fear and sadness echoed in the hollow of her heart while at the same time anger filled her gut, sharpened her senses and coursed through her veins. It would not end like this. Not tonight. Not ever. She straightened her back, stood up, and allowed herself one glance back at the dark windows of the loft above her. She had given herself the last couple of minutes to shed the hardest of the emotions and prepare herself for what now lay ahead. She knew, though, that there was no time to wallow in the darkness. She walked to her car, got in, and started the engine, not even bothering to wipe the rain or the streaks of sadness from her face. Detective Kate Beckett pulled away from the curb and drove back toward the 12th precinct, determined to find her way to Rick Castle, wherever he may be.

xxxxx

He sat crumpled in the corner of the dimly lit room, his back leaning into the right angle where the walls met. His hands and feet were bound, and he felt dizzy and disoriented. His head throbbed all over, and he could not even pinpoint exactly where the worst impact had been. He licked his parched lips and could taste the coppery salt of his own blood where Garrison had slapped him. Splinters from the battered hardwood floor scratched at the backs of his legs, reminding him that he could still feel something so he must be alive. The thought renewed his hope, even as he silently willed Kate Beckett not to come here to find him. Coming here is exactly what Garrison wanted her to do, and Rick Castle had no doubt that if she arrived, there was a good chance she would not make it back out again. The thought made his heart sink and his blood run cold. It could not end like this. Not tonight. Not ever.

xxxxx

_Earlier that morning:_

The day had started off much like the days often do: Kate had arrived at the precinct at 4:45 am, before the sun had even started its grand ascent over New York City. She was sitting on her desk staring at the murder board and using this hard-earned quiet time at the station to allow herself to think, to mull over the facts, to volley ideas between herself and the whiteboard looming in front of her. Just as the elusiveness of the answers started to discourage her, in walked Rick Castle with two cups of coffee, a pastry, and a knowing smile. Now would be their time to trade thoughts and friendly barbs, willing away the frustration of the case with some fresh ideas and just a little flirtation. She smiled back and thanked him for the coffee, grateful that he was here this morning. He sat down next to her, lightly nudged her left shoulder with his right; and just like that, he had let her know that he was glad to see her too.

"Morning, Castle", she said quietly between sips of coffee.

"Top of the morning to you, Detective", he answered, his voice just the right blend of cheerful and caring.

They sat together, rearranging the pictures and notes in their minds until simultaneously they turned to each other and exclaimed, "I know who the killer is!"

Kate took a deep breath and let it out slowly, a smile lighting up her face just for him. This was one of her favorite moments. It didn't happen with every case, but when it did, the electricity between them was palpable. Rick's hand involuntarily rose up from the desk, just slightly, and he had to stop himself from reaching out to touch her face. This, right here, was everything to him. He held his breath for an instant, watching the happiness dance across her features. The moment passed quickly, but it was one more moment that made each of their hearts skip a beat, and inched them a little closer to being together, to allowing themselves to love.

xxxxx

Unfortunately, for this case, realizing who the killer was would only make their lives more difficult. By understanding who it was, they now also understood how it was done, recognized the pure vindictiveness and unabashed hatred that must have oozed from his thoughts and worked through his hands as he planned and completed the deed. Jonathan Garrison had committed murder before and would surely commit murder again if he was not caught. He was unafraid and unflinching in his wielding of power and dispersal of pain. The police officer who had arrested Jonathan ten years ago was now dead, and so was her husband. It was their pictures that rested at the top of the murder board. Jonathan had killed Nate first and then watched – no, stalked - from afar as Jillian mourned. He dispensed his final punishment upon her only once he was certain Jillian had suffered immeasurable loss. Kate and Rick had questioned Jonathan two days ago, but to no avail. He must have known then, though, that it would only be a matter of time before Kate and Rick solved this puzzle. The detective and the writer had a reputation in this city, and they were not known to let cases like this one go unsolved.

It was right after their harmonized spark of intuition that Castle and Beckett realized this man would stop at nothing to keep himself free, that he enjoyed killing and drew pleasure from tormenting those who sought his capture. With that sudden knowledge came action.

Castle leapt off the desk as he whispered, "Alexis. Mother."

Kate immediately moved to call Esposito and Ryan, telling them to go to Castle's loft to check on Rick's daughter and mother. She knew she would not be able to keep Rick from going to his apartment to check on his family and wouldn't even think of trying to stop him, though she did try her best to make him wait while she called Ryan and Esposito. She did not want Rick to go there alone. Understandably, yet frustratingly, he would not wait. He was on his way out the door before she could finish calling the two detectives. Despite the fear that pricked her heart as she watched him go, she would never try to keep a father from going to his own child who might be in danger. As he ran for the elevator, Kate had called to him "Watch your back. I'll be there right behind you. Ryan and Esposito will be there as fast as they can." As the elevator doors slid shut, she caught a last glance of the guilt and fear that gripped this man she cared for so deeply. She wanted nothing more than to make this all okay, and to make sure Castle stayed safe. She had to try to reach Alexis and Martha before she left and was thankful that Esposito and Ryan would soon be on their way to the loft. She had no idea what she would do if anything happened to Castle, knew only that the mere thought of losing him made her pray to a god she wasn't sure she believed in to keep him safe.

Kate then dialed Alexis. The girl's phone rang in Kate's ear and then went to voice mail. Kate left a calm but strict message telling the girl that her father was on his way and that she should not open the door for anyone until he got home, except for Ryan and Esposito who were due to arrive at any moment. Kate knew the teen would have the presence of mind to do exactly what she had instructed. When she hung up, she left the same message on Martha's cell phone and then on the landline at the Castle residence. She was ready to leave the precinct and catch up to Castle; but just as she was hanging up, Alexis and Martha entered the 12th precinct and rushed to Kate Beckett's desk.


	2. Chapter 2

"Detective Beckett!" shouted Alexis as she ran to Kate. Martha followed quickly behind and asked Kate, "Where is Richard?"

Surprised and confused, Kate put her hands gently on the girl's shoulders and simply said, "Alexis." Seeing the look on Alexis' face, she quickly put her arms around the girl, one hand resting against the back of Alexis' head, comforting her. Kate looked at Martha and asked, "What happened?" She knew she was not going to like the answer.

Martha, her face drawn with anxiety, quickly explained, "Alexis and I were coming back from breakfast at the diner. When we arrived at our door, it was already open, and there was a man in the apartment, heading toward Richard's office. At first we thought Richard had a guest, one of his mystery writer friends, and we were going to go in, tell him Richard was here with you."

"But then we heard the home phone ring," interjected Alexis, "and when the man turned around to see where the ring was coming from, we could see how 'off' he looked, how angry." She continued in barely a whisper, "He had a knife."

"That's when we turned and ran", said Martha, "and we came directly here. I don't think he saw us".

"That's good", assured Kate, "Did you call your father?"

"I left my cell phone at home this morning", Martha responded in a flat voice.

"Mine's still charging", Alexis said, her voice rising as panic began to set in. "My dad's not here?"

Kate didn't bother to respond to Alexis just then, only snapped open her phone and barked a question to Esposito and Ryan, asking their location and status of the situation. She listened intently but with a cold, sinking dread as they told her they had arrived 8 minutes ago to find the loft open but empty. They were inside now, searching every room to piece together what had happened. She told them to call Castle's cell phone, to try to check in with him any way they could. Maybe Rick hadn't arrived home yet. Maybe he was still okay.

But Kate's mind had processed the information. She had done the math quickly and realized that Rick must have arrived at his loft just a few minutes ahead of Ryan and Esposito; and that the man in the apartment, undoubtedly Jonathan Garrison, would have still been there when Rick arrived at home. Rick would most certainly have been shouting for his daughter and mother as he ran in, paying no attention to the oddity of the open door.

"Oh, God, no" Kate said through clenched teeth. Alexis' face went white and Martha grabbed Kate's arm. "Where is my son?"

Kate looked in turn at Martha and Alexis, forcing them to meet her gaze. "I don't know, but I promise you that I'll find him." The resolve in Kate's eyes offered some relief to the Castle women standing before her. They knew that this detective cared deeply for the son and father who meant the world to them. They knew in their hearts that Kate Beckett would go to the ends of the earth to bring Rick back to them.

With a wavering glimmer of hope, Kate dialed Rick's cell phone herself and grimaced when she got his voice mail. "Please call me if you get this message, Rick. Please be okay." Her breath caught before she could hang up, and she could feel hot tears fighting to reach daylight. She swallowed and blinked them back into the corners of her eyes. Crying would not help Rick Castle and would certainly not make this any easier for Martha and Alexis. She hung up, and instructed the officers who had now arrived at the station to stay with Martha and Alexis and to not let them leave until Kate gave the okay. She then spoke calmly to the two women, even as her insides screamed at her to hurry, to find Rick. "Martha, Alexis", she began, "he is going to be okay. The man that was in your apartment is a suspect in the case we're working on. He's dangerous, but we have time. I promise you I'll bring your dad home." She looked directly at Alexis as she said those last few words. Kate had lost her mother when she was just a little bit older than Alexis was now, and she was d*mned if she was going to let Alexis feel that kind of loss. The two women nodded once, eyes wide. Kate continued, "I need you to stay here until I call and instruct these officers otherwise. Do you understand?" Again, the women nodded. "I'm going to have another officer go to your apartment and bring your cell phones back to you. If you hear anything from Castle, I need you to let me know right away." With their affirmation, Kate turned and walked briskly out the door.

xxxxx

Rick Castle had driven faster than he ever had before. Because it was still so early in the morning, not yet even 7:00, the workday commuters had barely begun to clog the streets. He made it from the 12th precinct to his loft in a record five minutes. He threw his car into park haphazardly against the curb, leaving the door open and running into his building. The security guard was nowhere to be seen. Not bothering to wait for the elevator, which was sure to be slow as the other residents made their way out for the day, Rick took the stairs up to his floor. He flung open the stairwell door , hearing the elevator clang shut as he entered the hallway. He ran to his loft, paying no attention to the open door, other than to be thankful he didn't have to slow down to use his keys. As he ran in, he shouted urgently, "Alexis! Mother!" There was, of course, no response. Unbeknownst to Rick, the two women had just gotten in the elevator to rush to the precinct.

He frantically wondered, had they been hurt? Had they been taken? "Alexis?" he said again loudly, trying not to lose hope. As he was about to shout for his mother, he heard a footstep behind him. He turned around, hoping to see Alexis standing beside him. Instead, he felt the sharp sting of a hard slap across his mouth and jaw. The slap was so hard it drew blood, but was meant only to stun. The real blow came several seconds later, while Rick tried to get his bearings. In that briefest of moments, Rick saw Jonathan Garrison grinning and raising a knife over his head. "Just the man I was looking for, Mr. Castle. Welcome home." With that, Garrison brought the knife down toward Castle's head, twisting his hand at the last moment, intending to knock Castle out with the butt end of the knife. As the handle of the knife was about to make its connection, Rick understood that Garrison did not come to hurt Alexis and Martha. Garrison had come to take Rick Castle away from Kate, to make her suffer yet another loss, to draw her into his death trap, just as he had done to Jillian and Nate. Filled with rage, Castle shouted "No!" and tried to block Garrison's attack, but he was too late. The ivory handle cracked against Castle's skull. As he fell to the floor, and darkness came toward him like an ocean wave, he could only think of Kate. Her name slipped from his lips as he felt consciousness being ripped away. The last thing he heard was Garrison's voice slithering its way into his ears, telling him that he was too late to help her now.

xxxxx


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all the story alerts and favorites. I'm having a great time writing, but I don't own Castle...**

**Please read and review -**

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><p>As soon as she was out of the precinct, she ran to her car and sped off toward Castle's apartment. How could she have let this happen? Why didn't she insist that he wait for her? If they'd only figured it all out 10 minutes later, he would have still been here when Alexis and Martha came in, and he never would have gone back to his loft. She knew now that Garrison was doing to her what he had done to Jillian Flaherty. He was trying to take Rick away to make her suffer, punish her for solving the case. If she didn't find Rick soon, Garrison would succeed. She couldn't bear the thought of Rick in pain and tried to push the images out of her head. Determination fueled her as she pulled up to his apartment building. She drew in a deep, shaky breath and ran in. On her way to the front door, she noticed Castle's car, parked oddly and with the driver's side door still yawning open. She passed by, wishing with all her heart that he was there, teasing her that he'd never let her drive his pride and joy.<p>

When she entered the loft, she was met by Ryan and Esposito, who had completed their search of the apartment. None of the usual greetings were made as they all took in the looks on each other's faces. Their silent looks clearly communicated the dedication each of them had to finding Rick Castle. One of their team members, one of their best friends, was in trouble. Of course, Ryan and Esposito knew how much harder this was for Beckett than it was for them. They knew how close Castle and Beckett were and wanted nothing more than to see them have their chance at happiness. Together.

Not wanting to waste any precious time, the two men launched into the description of what was found: Castle's car, parked and open, showed no signs of a fight, only of Castle's rush to get to his family. The door to the loft had been ajar when they arrived, and showed signs of having been forced open. In the loft it appeared that there was nothing missing, but there was quite a bit of blood on the carpet. They assumed it was Castle's but wouldn't know for sure until it could be tested. Hearing this news, Kate looked down and scanned the floor. Sure enough, she could see the place where Castle had been hurt. She felt as though her heart were being squeezed, and she felt the blood drain from her face. She sat down briefly on the sofa in the front room, pressing her palms to her eyes and willing her head to clear, her heart to stop racing, the nausea to stop rolling over her. Another deep breath, and she looked up to see Esposito staring at her. Before he could even voice the question, she answered, "I'm fine."

Esposito looked doubtful, so she added, "I am. I will be. I promise". She forced a small smile. "I just need to wrap my head around the fact that Castle isn't here to offer any crazy scenarios for this one." Esposito didn't believe her for one second. But despite his concern for her, he knew Kate Beckett, and he knew that her need to find Castle would only make her sharper. She would let nothing stop her from reaching him.

Esposito was a man of few words, but when he spoke, the words he used always held meaning. "Beckett, we're going to find him. You know that. It won't be too late. You are not going to lose him."

Kate looked at him gratefully. "I know," she said with resolve as she stood up. She took a quick breath in and let it out on the puff of a sigh, as if releasing any negative thoughts, ridding herself of their ability to keep her from focusing. She threw herself fully into detective mode, using her well-trained skills to force herself to look at the facts of the scene and push other thoughts aside. She asked Ryan and Esposito if they had already sent a sample of the blood to the lab and whether there were any finger prints. Yes, they'd sent the sample. Of course, there were no finger prints, but they knew who it was that had done this.

There was no telltale scent of a recently fired gun, no bullet holes, no shells, the neighbors hadn't heard anything. Beckett knew Castle hadn't been shot. She did know, from what Alexis had said, that Garrison had a knife. The weapon was nowhere to be found, so they could only assume he had taken it with him. They knew it was a possibility that Garrison had used the weapon on Castle, but they couldn't let themselves believe it had been fatal. If it had, Garrison would have left Castle here and run. No, they knew Castle was still alive when he left the apartment, and they were determined to keep him that way.

Beckett laid out a plan for their search, put out an APB, and made the call to put all available detectives on the search. Next, she called the station to make sure Martha and Alexis were booked securely into a hotel with round-the-clock police protection. Kate doubted that Garrison would go after them, but she didn't want to take any chances. Ryan and Esposito would start searching all of the places they had already discovered that Garrison frequented. Hopefully they would pick up on a trail – cell phone calls, credit cards, anything that might point to his recent activities or whereabouts. Beckett would spend a little more time in the apartment to see if she could find anything else – not because she didn't trust their work, but because she needed to see for herself, take in the facts with her own eyes in order to process them. After that, she would start to question all of Garrison's known contacts, see if any of them knew anything. She knew Garrison was smart, but he was also probably getting scared. He'd slip up somehow, and she'd be there waiting to pounce when he did. She knew she'd have to watch her own back as well - Garrison's M.O. dictated that she would quite possibly be his next victim. There was no way she was going to let herself get hurt when Castle needed her. Her being unable to get to him was not an option.

Their plan of action mapped out, they each set off to get to the work of bringing Castle home. Esposito gave Beckett a confident nod on his way out the front door. Ryan stopped briefly, and put his hand on Beckett's shoulder, looking right into her eyes. "We're bringing him home, Beckett. No doubt." She nodded, thanking him silently for this show of friendship and confidence.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow! Thank you all so much for all of the story alerts, favorites, and reviews. I'm flabbergasted and thrilled! You are all amazing, and I hope you continue to read my story. I'm having an amazing time writing it. **

**I don't own Castle but am grateful to be a fan!**

**And now, on to Chapter 4...**

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><p>Once Esposito and Ryan had left, and the other officers in the loft had filtered out the door, Beckett began her scouring of Castle's apartment, looking for anything that could possibly point her in the right direction. She looked again at the patch of blood on the carpet, fleetingly thinking how mad Castle would be when he saw it….he loved this carpet, had told her about the hours he and Alexis had spent picking it out. Of course, part of him wouldn't be able to help showing off the spot to his friends, especially his mystery writer friends. Kate pictured how he'd look when he told them the story – a twinkle in his eye, a hint of intrigue in his voice. But she knew there would be terrifying memories behind the story as well, and she wished she could keep the nightmares from descending upon him. One step at a time, though. She had to find him and make him safe first. She wanted nothing more than for this man to be back at her side, to be given the chance to tell him once and for all that she could not imagine her life without him in it.<p>

She continued around the apartment, spending most of her time in Castle's front room and office, where the detectives knew the struggle had taken place. The best they were able to piece together was that Garrison came here, looking for Castle. When he quietly forced his way in, expecting Castle to be home in the early morning, he first would have glanced at the kitchen and front room. Not seeing Rick there, he would have continued on his search, heading to check the bedroom, assuming Castle would be asleep. Probably frustrated that Castle was not there either, he headed to Rick's office, which is when Alexis and Martha spotted Garrison and left. They had thought Rick was already safely ensconced at the 12th. Garrison would then have continued into the office and been in there when Rick burst into the apartment shouting for his daughter and mother. It would have taken no time for Garrison to re-enter the front room while Castle's back was turned and take him by surprise. She was sure Castle would have fought back, would have tried everything he could to get away. She prayed Castle knew that Alexis and Martha were safe. She knew he would not be able to bear it if he thought they were hurt and needing him.

When she walked into his bedroom, she paused, taking in the scent that was unmistakably Castle. She felt oddly comforted by being in his room, felt closer to him somehow. She sat on the end of his bed and ran her palm over the neatly folded quilt underneath her. She turned and looked at the feather pillows, seeing the indentation where he had slept only hours before. Turning back she saw his bureau, a picture of a laughing Martha and Alexis perched there, staring at her happily. She would not let them down. Kate stood and strode back to the front room, widening her search from the spot on the carpet. She found nothing. Next, heading to Castle's office, she was again struck by the closeness she felt to him. Her need for him was profound, and her determination to find him was unwavering. Her eyes took in the organized workplace, the neatly aligned spines of all of his books. Her eyes settled on the two titles that had changed her life and somehow managed to also change her heart in the process. She walked over to them, reached out, and brushed her fingers over the letters. She had to believe in her heart that Castle would have the chance to finish book number three.

She completed her search of Castle's office, frustrated that she couldn't find anything. But she had to let that go for now and instead tackle questioning all of the people she knew to be associated with Garrison. She would start with his mother, his sister, and his ex-girlfriend. One of them had to know something. Before questioning the first person on her list, though, she knew there was one more stop she had to make. She had to go back to Alexis and Martha, explain what was happening, and try her best to reassure them. Kate ducked under the crime scene tape, closed and locked the door, and set off to see Castle's family. As she left the building and went to her car, her face was tight with unease, her sad eyes betraying the distress she was feeling. To the casual observer, she would look like any other busy New Yorker dealing with a tough job. To the jubilant Jonathan Garrison, watching her from across the street, Kate Beckett looked as though she was suffering a pain that would never heal. He would make sure of that. Congratulating himself on a job well done, he silently snapped her picture.

xxxxx

While the detectives were busy searching his apartment, looking for answers, Castle lay on the floor of the decrepit little room, still unconscious. While he lay there, Jonathan Garrison returned to the spot where he had imprisoned him and continued to carry out his plan. He wanted nothing more than to see Kate Beckett and Rick Castle suffer, to be punished for believing they could stop him. He knew that Castle's pain would break Kate Beckett, and he set out to show her exactly what Castle was going through. Garrison entered the room where Castle lay, camera still in hand. He smiled at the sight of Castle lying in a heap on the floor, hands and feet bound. Garrison snapped three pictures, all from different angles, and saved them to use later that evening.

As Garrison added the pictures to his repulsive little stash of tricks, Rick Castle began to stir. He moaned in pain as he tried to sit up, his head spinning. He tried to lift his head off the floor, but succeeded only in lifting it a few inches before he dropped it back down in defeat. The waves of nausea were almost unbearable, and it took all his strength not to give in to the returning darkness. He could not begin to imagine where he was, knew only that he was not at his loft, remembered only that he had been hit – more than once. His first coherent thought, however, sent a jolt through his nervous system. That thought was of Kate Beckett and of the fact that she was in danger. He couldn't move, could barely see through the haze of concussion. But he could speak, and the one word that he managed to utter before he passed out again was "Kate-".

Garrison could not believe how serendipity had smiled upon him once again. He had just caught Castle's brief awakening on the video function of his camera.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm so excited about all the favorites and story alerts I've received! Who knew this would be so fun? I hope you enjoy Chapter 5 and are kept in suspense and still interested in reading. I'll post again tomorrow night... **

**I love reviews!**

**As always, I don't own Castle...**

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><p>It had been nine hours since Garrison had ambushed Castle and brought him to this location. Those hours felt like an eternity to Kate, but passed in the blink of an eye for Castle. He had spent that time unconscious, except for the brief moment he had awoken and managed to speak Kate's name before sinking back into the shimmering shadows of darkness that refused to let him go.<p>

Now it was almost 4:00, and Castle was finally coming around. For the second time that day, he awoke to searing pain in his head, sudden onslaughts of nausea, and a sickening, unnamed fear as he struggled to recollect his predicament. Out of habit, he checked his watch and saw the hour hand settle firmly on the Roman numeral IV.

Rick struggled to keep his eyes open this time around, and when he looked at his watch a second time he realized he had managed to remain conscious for more than 20 minutes. Believing that he had passed some sort of time test in the grand scheme of holding onto his consciousness, he cautiously sat himself up, a difficult task with his hands and feet bound in front of him. Now he began to gain the strength to remember. His first thought was one filled with panic as he recalled his race to the loft to check on his daughter and mother, to make sure they hadn't been hurt by the perpetrator of the heinous crimes he and Beckett were trying to solve. His heart settled a bit when he also remembered the relief he had felt when he had first realized his family wasn't in danger, that it was Rick himself that Garrison had actually been after. That relief was short-lived as he was very quickly led to his next thought…remembering _why_ Garrison was after him. Ultimately, Garrison wanted to get to Kate.

"Oh God, not Kate."

The thought jump-started his brain and catapulted him toward full awareness. Rick loved this woman with all of his heart and was willing to give his life to Garrison if it meant Kate would continue to live hers. He knew, though, that his own death would not guarantee Kate's safety. Rather, it would seal Kate's fate. Castle knew that, as with Jillian Flaherty, Kate would first be subjected to the loss of someone she cared about, then become a victim herself. He could not bear the thought, and resolved to sideline Garrison any way he could muster. He had to come up with a plan to take Garrison down or at the very least, to escape.

Just as Castle started to feel this much-needed flicker of hope, a door opened on the other side of the room, and Garrison entered. His evil smile seemed to wash the room in darkness, and Castle felt the dread an unsuspecting person must feel when they realize they're about to crash headlong into the last day of their life. Not being one to ever truly admit defeat though, Castle found himself taking in every aspect of Garrison's figure in case he made it through and needed to remember the details. The writer took in each element of Garrison's clothes, his shoes, the disarray of his mousy brown hair, the five o'clock shadow sprouting on his gaunt features, the desperate look in his eyes, the digital camera in his left hand. Castle had not been expecting to see something as seemingly out-of-place as a camera, and just as his mind was trying to formulate a theory, Garrison raised the camera so it was level with his stubbled face. He held the camera out slightly, so that he could see Castle through both the viewfinder and his own eyes. He then readied his finger over the video button, raised his right foot, pushed the button, and kicked Castle square in the chest, knocking him flat onto the floor. As Castle's back and head thudded hard onto the wooden floor, his breath was hammered from his lungs. He was left gasping for air and fighting to keep a grasp on the light of day. Garrison's laughter echoed off the thin walls as he pressed "stop" and walked back out the door.

xxxxx

The last nine hours seemed to last a lifetime for Kate Beckett. It was just after 7:00 this morning that she had learned of Castle's assault and abduction. He had been suffering whatever torture he was being subjected to for the entire day, and she had not yet been able to find him. Her heart ached for him, for his family, and for herself as she struggled to remain strong and focused. She had gone to see Martha and Alexis at their hotel and had been heartbroken to see their faces as she told them the truth about what had happened and what she and the other detectives were doing to bring him home. Alexis had started sobbing, and Martha had simply brought her hands to her face and turned away. She sat with them for only ten minutes because she couldn't lose any more time than that. Every minute spent away from the search was another minute Castle was at the mercy of Garrison. She softly told the women she had to leave. She pulled them both in close and promised to come back as soon as she possibly could. They both had Kate's cell phone number and knew they could call her if they needed her or if by some miracle they heard from Castle.

As she walked out into the lobby of the hotel, she saw the city medical examiner, Lanie Parrish, coming toward her. When Kate saw Lanie, her heart plummeted, her face drained of color, and all she could say was "Please, no."

Lanie realized why Kate thought she was there and hastened to say, "No, honey, I'm not here to tell you that."

Kate's eyes instantly filled with tears of relief which she let fall briefly and without shame. "What is it, Lanie?"

"I came here because Javier told me this is where I would find you. I wanted to let you know as soon as I had the results back." She paused and put her hand on Kate's forearm. "The blood on the carpet does belong to Castle." As Kate nodded stoically, Lanie added, " I'm so sorry."

The strength in Kate's voice came back as she replied, "I knew in my heart it was his. It's just so hard to hear it as a fact. It makes all this more real, you know?"

Lanie nodded and looked at her best friend with compassion. "You're going to find him, you have to believe that. After all, you have some unfinished business with that man."

The corners of Kate's lips arched into a tiny smile which quickly faded away. "I've wasted so much time, Lanie. I've had a thousand chances to tell him, but I've pushed him away, let every one of those chances slip by because I was so damn scared I'd lose him if I gave him my heart." She added quietly, "The irony is that now I might've lost him anyway. And he never got to hear me tell him"

"Don't even start to let yourself think that way. First of all, there's no way that man doesn't know you care about him. He's seen the way you look at him. And second, you haven't lost him. You are the best detective in this city. Go out and prove it once again, girl. Bring your writer back, and let him know you love him… And don't even try to tell me that's not what this is."

"I'm doing my best, Lanie, but I'm hitting road blocks at every turn. If I can't get something out of Garrison's mother, or his sister, or his ex, I'm back at square one."

"Something's gonna break. You just wait and see. It'll happen. Faith, girl, faith."

"I don't have time to wait and see. Rick doesn't have time. I need to start finding answers _now_." With that, Kate gave Lanie a quick hug and walked outside to find an afternoon that was quickly becoming cloudy and held the unmistakable scent of impending rain.

She had just gotten into her car when a text came through from Kevin Ryan: "Get to the 12th. Something on email you need to see NOW". Kate slammed the car door and took off for the precinct. When she arrived, she hastened to her desk where Ryan and Esposito were already sitting.

Ryan filled her in immediately. "We've been checking your email in case anything came in. This was sent to you a few minutes ago from a public computer. It's a video file."

Kate watched in horror as she clicked "play" and saw Castle lying on a hard wood floor, bound, his mouth and head crusted with dried blood. He seemed to be coming around after being knocked out hard. She saw him lift his head for a few seconds, saw the look of sheer pain on his face, then saw his head drop back down to the floor. She could barely hear the one word he was able to mutter, and she felt her heart drop as her name made its way from his lips to her ears.

She had just received the first of Garrison's videos.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm baaack... I'm having sooo much fun writing this fic that I'm on a roll. I've been writing since I got home from work and have two nice long chapters for you all. Chapters 6 and 7 uploading now to a computer near you!**

**I don't own Castle...**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews make my day...**

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><p>As soon as the video showing Castle's brief moment of consciousness was done, Kate saved the file to her computer, the sound of Rick's voice muttering her name still repeating in her head. It was amazing how she was able to continue the business of being a detective while she was being torn apart on the inside. But Kate Beckett's strength, training, wisdom, and yes, her love for Rick Castle, were keeping her going.<p>

Once the video was saved, she noted the time stamp on it as 9:35am, which was only about 15 minutes after she had left Rick's loft earlier that morning. Given that Rick had been taken around 7:00, they couldn't have gone very far. Maybe they were even still holed up somewhere in the city. With this video, it was abundantly clear to Kate that Garrison was indeed trying to torture her by making her see Rick's pain. And he was succeeding. The hurt she was feeling at seeing Rick suffer was tantamount to what she felt when she lost her mother. But this time she still had a chance to make the ending a better one. Knowing that Garrison was being very blatant about trying to lure her, Kate also realized that it was odd Garrison hadn't intentionally left some little crumb of a trail for her to follow. He had spent all that time in Rick's loft. He had to have left something behind, purposely, to toy with her, to draw her near. Kate's best guess was that the clue was somewhere in Rick's office. Garrison would only have spent minimal time in the bedroom and kitchen, the only thing that seemed to have happened in the living room was the struggle. That left Rick's office, the most obvious place for him to hide some small clue.

She was broken from her train of thought as Ryan said "What are you thinking? Did you catch something on that video?"

She had almost forgotten that Ryan and Esposito had been watching the video with her and were waiting for her to say something. She relayed her thoughts to them, and they all agreed that the people most familiar with Castle's office would be his daughter and mother. If Kate brought them there, maybe, just maybe they'd be able to help her look through the office, see if anything looked different or out of place.

New hope invigorated Kate and gave her the courage to really breathe for the first time since she saw Martha and Alexis run into the precinct this morning. Before going back to the loft, though, she had to question Garrison's family members. After all, things at the loft wouldn't change, but the whereabouts of Garrison's family probably would. She enlisted Ryan and Esposito's help in order to get back to the loft more quickly.

Kate would go to the ex-girlfriend while the other two detectives would question the mother and sister.

xxxxx

A couple of hours later, the three detectives met back at the precinct to go over what they had learned. Ryan and Esposito were able to confirm that Garrison had not contacted either of his next-of-kin. In fact, his sister hadn't even been home for the past ten days, and her brother wouldn't know how to reach her if he wanted to. She'd been house-sitting for a friend in SoHo.

Garrison's mother was a dead end. She hadn't heard a word from her son in over a month. The last thing she talked to Jonathan about was whether he was ever going to ask his girlfriend to marry him. She didn't even know they had broken up. He hadn't spoken to her again after that.

Beckett had met with Garrison's ex-girlfriend Pamela Tarman. Pamela broke up with Garrison about a month ago when he started saying he was working late all the time and began acting differently. She was convinced he was having an affair, even though he denied it. She broke up with him and hadn't heard anything from him since then.

The three detectives had very little to go on and were again feeling frustrated. It felt to Kate like the last hope she had was Martha and Alexis.

"Guys, I can't waste anymore time. I'm going to get Alexis and Martha now and go back over to Castle's place. See if they notice anything that I missed." To Ryan and Esposito, Beckett sounded as though she'd lost the spark they had seen light up in her just a couple of hours ago. She was starting to feel as though too much time was slipping away and that she was going to lose Castle. They knew her too well to think she'd ever give up, but they recognized the heavy sadness that seemed to be settling over her.

"Do you want us to go with you?" asked Ryan.

"No, I'll be okay on my own. Stay here and see if anything else comes in. If it does, send it to my phone. If you catch any more leads, call me."

The two men agreed and said they'd call Alexis and Martha to let them know Beckett was on her way.

xxxxx

Kate arrived back at Martha and Alexis' hotel, greeted the police detail, and went in to see the two women. Before entering, she straightened her back, put a hopeful look on her face, and forced her voice to sound more upbeat than she felt.

When she knocked lightly and walked in, she almost broke. Both Castle women were sitting on the end of one of the hotel beds, arms around each other, not saying anything. Alexis' eyes were red, and Martha looked like she had been fighting her own tears just to give Alexis a little bit of hope. When Kate spoke, she said "Hi" so softly that it sounded like the whisper of a breeze. Alexis unwrapped herself from her grandmother and went to Kate. She knew how much Kate loved her dad, even though Kate had never put words to it. The young redhead put her arms around Kate's shoulders and squeezed. Kate's arms came up to return the embrace, and she was surprised at the comfort and strength she got from the girl's selfless gesture.

Knowing that Martha and Alexis had already spoken with Esposito, Kate simply asked "Are you ready?"

Martha stood, nodded, and went to get her jacket. When she came back, she looked at Kate and saw the distress on the younger woman's face, saw that Kate was trying to hide her fear from them. "You can be yourself with us, Kate. We understand. It doesn't make you weak, and it won't make you fail."

Kate wondered how these two women could be so kind to her when Castle was missing because of the work he did with her. The acceptance and comfort she felt from them was overwhelming, and she said "I know, Martha…. I…thank you. I just want to bring Rick home to you."

"And to you, dear. Don't doubt that he thinks of you as home, too. Even if he's never said it."

Kate didn't trust herself to speak, so she only nodded. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and the three women walked out together, Martha and Alexis grasping hands tightly. The police officer at the door followed them so that he could bring Martha and Alexis back to the hotel after they finished their search, and Kate could go directly back to the precinct.

The rain had started in earnest now, and showed no signs of letting up.

xxxxx

After Rick had been kicked to the floor, he struggled to regain his breath. The anger he felt at hearing Garrison's laughter is the only thing that kept him from slipping into darkness for a third time. Once Garrison left, Rick caught his breath and managed to get himself into a crooked sitting position. He had to lean against the walls until the room stopped spinning. As he sat there, he thought he might as well spend his time productively by trying to make some sense of Garrison's actions. The last thing Castle has seen before he was kicked was that camera. He knew from working the case that the man who killed Jillian and Nate had taken joy in seeing Jillian suffer emotional pain before she too was killed. Had Garrison used the same camera somehow with Nate and Jillian? Castle's writer mind kicked in, and he welcomed this old familiar friend with open arms. He could rely on the writer in him to come up with a scenario, some idea that would make the pieces click. And suddenly, the thought hit him, and it hurt more than Garrison's physical attacks. Castle thought, "Garrison _did_ use that camera before. He took pictures of Nate and sent them to Jillian. And now he's sending that video of me to Kate. He's making her watch my pain." Castle ached for her because she had already experienced so much loss in her life, because he didn't want her to blame herself, because he loved her with everything he had. He didn't want her to come here to find him because he didn't want her to be hurt, but if he could have anything at this moment, it would be to put his arms around her just once and tell her she meant everything to him.

xxxxx

_He sat crumpled in the corner of the dimly lit room, his back leaning into the right angle where the walls met. His hands and feet were bound, and he felt dizzy and disoriented. His head throbbed all over, and he could not even pinpoint exactly where the worst impact had been. He licked his parched lips and could taste the coppery salt of his own blood where Garrison had slapped him. Splinters from the battered hardwood floor scratched at the backs of his legs, reminding him that he could still feel something so he must be alive. The thought renewed his hope, even as he silently willed Kate Beckett not to come here to find him. Coming here is exactly what Garrison wanted her to do, and Rick Castle had no doubt that if she arrived, there was a good chance she would not make it back out again. The thought made his heart sink and his blood run cold. It could not end like this. Not tonight. Not ever._

xxxxx

A fire burning bright inside him to protect Kate, Castle forced his mind to focus, become sharper. He realized that the video of him being kicked was probably not the first one; and he correctly assumed that Garrison had filmed him earlier, possibly when he had initially regained consciousness and tried to speak.

Knowing now what Garrison was doing gave Castle an idea. Garrison didn't know that Castle was aware of the videos. He thought Castle had been unconscious. If Castle could harness some acting skills, he could use his new-found knowledge to his advantage. He could somehow get a message to Kate.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: And here's Chapter 7...two chapters in one night (be sure you didn't miss Chapter 6 since I uploaded two chappies tonight. If you miss that chapter you may be mightily confused by this one! ;) **

**This story should reach its exciting conclusion by the end of the weekend... please keep reading and reviewing. It keeps me inspired and motivated. :o)**

**I still don't own Castle...**

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><p>Kate, Alexis, and Martha crossed underneath the police tape at the front door of the loft, all of them feeling that this must somehow be a nightmare. It was all too surreal to be crossing under police tape here, in this home that should feel safe and comfortable, where the man they all cared so much for should be laughing, teasing, and loving.<p>

The police officer from the hotel waited outside while the trio went to begin their search. Kate did not want Castle's mother and daughter to see the carpet, so she gently guided them to Rick's work space. If either of them realized that Kate didn't want them to see something, they never let on, they simply let her lead them into the office.

Kate broke the silence, "I think Garrison might have intentionally left some sort of clue here, wanting me to find it and follow it. But I don't know his office as well as you two do. If you can look everything over really closely and tell me if anything, even something that seems inconsequential, looks out of place or out of the ordinary, it could be the lead we're looking for."

Alexis and Martha were sure that if anything was different, they'd be able to find it. Alexis spent so much time in here, watching her father write, reading his books, doing her homework, sharing her dreams and sorrows with her dad. And Martha often hijacked her son's office as her own -whenever she held her life coaching sessions or when she just wanted some privacy to go over her latest script. The two started poring over the room, first scanning for something obvious, then looking at every minute detail. Within twenty minutes Alexis shouted "Kate!"

Beckett, who had herself been looking through Castle's desk, shot up from the desk chair and ran across the room to Alexis who was standing in front of the shelves that held all of Castle's own novels. "What is it?" Martha joined them to see as well.

Alexis pointed at Castle's books. "Look, they're all in order of how he wrote them, starting with the first Derrick Storm novel at the top and ending with the second Nikki Heat at the bottom."

"That's not how he normally has them?" asked Kate, wishing she had noticed this earlier in the day.

"No, he never has the Nikki Heats at the bottom. He thought it was bad luck. He always keeps the Nikki Heats right at the top - first in his sight, first in his heart." She looked at Kate as she said the words and saw the detective blush, even in the midst of this horrifying ordeal.

Kate grabbed Alexis into a hug, "You're brilliant, did anyone ever tell you that?"

Now it was Alexis' turn to blush. "Will this help you find my Dad?"

Kate looked at Alexis and Martha. "I'm not sure what it means yet, but I'm sure it means something. Now I just have to figure out what, and how it will lead me to your father. I know Garrison left this clue on purpose, but we'll have to wait and see if it's a trick meant to mislead me or if Garrison is giving me a real clue in order for him to get access to me."

"Do you think Richard is still safe?" asked Martha, hope and fear enveloping her question.

"I have to believe he is, and so do you," replied Kate. "We have to stay hopeful if we're going to bring him home. You know Castle, he's a fighter, and he's smart. Heck, he's probably already got it all figured out and is just wondering why we haven't put it all together and come to pick him up yet." She forced a smile and almost made herself believe her own words.

This seemed to ease the anxiety Martha and Alexis were feeling, just a little bit.

"Are you going to look?" asked Alexis, indicating that Kate should open the Nikki Heat books to see if there was any sort of message inside.

Kate didn't want Castle's family to be present when she opened the books, in case the message wasn't good. So she replied, "You two should head back to the hotel while I try to pick through the two books and see what I can find. It'll be easier for me if I know you two are safe and sound back at your hotel."

The younger and elder Castles knew what Kate wasn't saying, but agreed to go because they weren't ready to see if the message wasn't good. They'd rather hold onto their hope for as long as they could. Martha put her hands on Kate's shoulders and told her "Stay strong, Detective. We trust you."

Kate smiled, clasped Martha's right hand in both of her own and said "Thank you." She then hugged Alexis and ushered the two women back to the police officer who took them to the hotel. As the door closed behind them, Kate went back to Castle's office, feeling suddenly very lonely without the company of his family. She went directly back to the Nikki Heat books and pulled the same two titles from the shelf that she had been looking at this morning, the same titles she brushed her fingers over almost 12 hours ago. Maybe this time a new lead would not elude her.

She opened the first book and scanned each page, knowing that the clue should be fairly easy to spot now that she knew where to look. She found what she was looking for almost immediately when she opened _Heat Wave_, Castle's first Nikki Heat novel. As she turned to the dedication page, she saw what Garrison had wanted her to see. Castle's original dedication now had an addendum so that it read "To the extraordinary KB and all my friends at the 12th – _you're so close you feel like family."_ Those last handwritten words that Garrison had penned himself flitted through Kate's mind. What did they mean?

As she was starting to formulate an idea, she heard a church bell somewhere ring 7:00, the pealing of the bell temporarily blocking out the sound of the rain. As the bells chimed, so did her phone. She looked at the caller ID and saw that Esposito had sent a text and a file. She didn't know whether to dread opening his message or be hopeful that they had a new lead. She opened the message, and all other thoughts left her mind as she saw the words "Another video just came in. Can't trace it." This roller coaster of emotions was almost unbearable. Her hope fell, and despair moved in quickly to replace it as she watched Castle sitting down in the empty room, and then out of nowhere, a foot lodging into his chest and knocking him to the floor with a thud. She thought she would never forget the look of Castle lying on his back, gasping to get the air back into his lungs while the soundtrack of Garrison's laughter ran underneath. The video went dark, and Kate hit save. Frustration, fear, and heartache were shaking her. She grabbed _Heat Wave_ , turned out the lights, went under the crime tape and out the door. She had to get back to the 12th as soon as she could, but she just needed a minute to pull herself together.

_She sat shivering in the late evening rain, on the curb in front of his apartment building. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the rain pelt at her face. The cold drops blended with the warm tears that had recently escaped and begun their slow descent toward her jaw line. Fear and sadness echoed in the hollow of her heart while at the same time anger filled her gut, sharpened her senses and coursed through her veins. It would not end like this. Not tonight. Not ever. She straightened her back, stood up, and allowed herself one glance back at the dark windows of the loft above her. She had given herself the last couple of minutes to shed the hardest of the emotions and prepare herself for what now lay ahead. She knew, that there was no time to wallow in the darkness. She walked to her car, got in, and started the engine, not even bothering to wipe the rain or the streaks of sadness from her face. Detective Kate Beckett pulled away from the curb and drove back toward the 12th precinct, determined to find her way to Rick Castle, wherever he may be._

xxxxx

When Castle realized that the videos were the key and that he now had a line of communication to Kate, he found new strength. So when he heard Garrison approaching the room again a few minutes later, he was ready. He lay back on the floor, assuming the position Garrison had previously left him in when he had kicked him to the floor. Castle closed his eyes and lay as still as he could, focusing on the steady patter of rain that had started falling. But Garrison did something Castle didn't expect. Rick heard the heavy footsteps draw near, and then he heard a soft swish along the floor, almost as though papers were being slid toward his face. Then, almost as soon as Garrison had come into the room, he was gone. Cautiously, Castle opened first one eye and then the other. He shimmied himself off of his back and onto his left side. When he turned his eyes down to look at the floor, he was surprised to see two photographs. He reached his bound hands out to the pictures, and picked them up, pulling them to himself. He brought the pictures in front of his face, and the dam broke silently behind his eyes when he saw the first photograph – a picture of Kate leaving his loft. The picture had been blown up to show every detail of the beautiful face he knew so well, and the tears he had been keeping at bay now fell freely. The picture had obviously been snapped this morning, after Kate knew Rick had been taken. In fact, there was a small time stamp indicating the picture was taken at 9:20 am. Her eyes reflected his own heartache, and her strained features were a blatant portrayal of the diametrically opposed layers of fear and fortitude she was carrying with her.

The second picture had been taken more recently. It showed Kate, alone, sitting on the curb in front of his loft, face tilted into the rain and darkness that had now descended upon the city. It, too, bore a tiny time stamp in the lower corner, pinpointing the picture's time at 6:43pm. He looked at his watch. It was 7:10. Could that be right? If so, then this second picture was taken only twenty-five minutes ago. Garrison had to have had time to connect his camera to a computer, print the picture, and return to this room to leave the pictures for Castle all in that 25-minute time span. Wherever it was that Castle was being held, it was very close to his own loft. That thought was overshadowed by the quickly building fear he had for Kate who was obviously being stalked and taunted by Garrison. And she was unknowingly within mere minutes of Garrison's despicable grasp. Seeing that photo of Kate crying in the rain nearly ripped his soul in two, and the only thing that gave him the willpower he needed was the desire to somehow protect her the only way he could – by sending her a message through one of Garrison's videos. And now he knew exactly what message he would send. He just had to figure out how.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N; Sorry it's been a couple days, but I hope this chapter is worth the wait... The story should wrap up in a couple of days... Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts, etc. You guys rock!**

**I don't own Castle...**

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><p>As Kate pulled into the precinct, she slammed the car into park, got out, and slammed the door as she flew to the entrance. When the elevator finally delivered her to the 12th, she stalked to her desk and slapped her phone onto the desk. Ryan and Esposito jumped at her abrupt entrance but were relieved to see the angry Kate Beckett with fire in her eyes. Garrison would surely not stand a chance now.<p>

Both men had seen the video before Esposito emailed the file to Beckett, and they were infuriated with their so-far inability to figure it all out. They had to get to him as soon as possible, before the opportunity, and Castle, was lost. The three detectives gathered around the desk. Kate's red-rimmed eyes did not go unnoticed, but her feelings were secondary to the task in front of them. They needed to know if Alexis and Martha had found anything so that they could put it together with what little other information they had from Nate and Jillian's case and from the mother, sister, and ex-fiancée. As Kate described what Alexis had noticed and how the dedication in the book was altered, the wheels started to turn. _"You're so close you feel like family"._ Was he referring to her being close to figuring it out, or did he mean she was close physically? Or both? She knew that the first video was taken within two and a half hours of Rick being taken, but the time stamp on the second video was of no use to her, except to tell her that Rick had been awake and able to sit up at the time the video was taken, just after 4:00pm. She was terrified that the kick to the chest and fall to the floor had further injured Rick, and she had no idea if he was conscious right now. Maybe he'd be safer if he didn't seem awake.

Kate forced her bombarding thoughts to slow down, ostracizing the images of Rick in pain from her mind. While the videos fueled her, they could just as quickly stall her if she let them - and her imagination - get the better of her. The best thing she could do for Rick was to focus on the facts and not the feelings. But damn, when she had this man back with her, she would not let a minute go by without him understanding that her soul was not complete without him.

The detectives began putting information up on the murder board. Up went the notes from the mother, sister, and ex-fiancée. Up went the additions to the case timeline, outlining and briefly describing the two videos and the times they were taken. Up went a snapshot of the altered book dedication, Garrison's handwriting vandalizing the beauty if Rick's extraordinary words. And finally, up went a photo of Rick, a still from one of the videos. Ryan, Esposito, and Beckett never thought they would see a picture of Rick Castle on this board, and they prayed that his picture remained that of a survivor and not a namesake of this murder board. As they stepped back to look at the new case map they had just completed, their detective minds started to mix and match the various pieces of the puzzle, re-arranging and merging the seemingly disparate chunks of information, trying to come up with the one combination that would unlock the mystery of Castle's location.

Kate's top lip was caught between her teeth, her head cocked to one side. Her hands were on her hips as she stood back from the board, eyes flicking from the book dedication to the notes describing the interview with Garrison's sister. Suddenly, she sucked in her breath. Her hands dropped from her hips, and she instinctively stepped forward to the board. One of her hands came up and touched Castle's picture, almost reverently, as she exclaimed, "I know where he is!" Ryan and Esposito looked to her in surprise and anticipation. "Look at what his sister said. She's been away for ten days, staying with a friend." She went on, "She hasn't been at her own house since the day before Nate was killed nine days ago. Garrison knew she wasn't there. He wrote in the book 'You're so close you feel like family'. Like family, guys. That's the message. He's got Castle at his sister's empty house. That's where he killed Nate and Jillian, and that's where he's holding Castle."

No sooner had the triumphant words left her mouth, than the computer on her desk signaled the receipt of a new email. She knew even before she looked that it would be another video of Rick. "Please," she pleaded silently, "please don't let me be too late". She opened the file, not wanting to leave without looking at it in case Garrison was moving Castle and dropping another hint to torment her. Or worse, hurting him. She didn't want to see that but needed to know because she needed to be able to tell the EMTs exactly what kind of injuries Rick might have sustained.

xxxxx

Thirty minutes after Rick had first seen the pictures of Kate and figured out what message he wanted to send to her, he was still trying to figure out exactly how to do it. And then, opportunity shook his hand, happy to introduce itself to him. Garrison came in, holding the camera, looking angry and harried. Something about him had changed. There was an urgency to his actions, and Rick knew that his time in this room was drawing to a close. He knew with all certainty that this would be his only chance. He had to warn Kate; and as a heavy, dark despair wormed its way into his soul, he knew he also had to say goodbye.

Garrison was a man prone to instant gratification rather than patience, and this day was quickly wearing thin for him. Garrison knew that Castle would not be able to get by him – he was too weak from the assaults and injuries, and the only egress from this empty room was the door that Garrison was blocking. Garrison was ready to inflict Kate Beckett's final emotional torture. His plan dictated that his final video installment for Kate Beckett would be the voice, the words, the very soul of Richard Castle. Rick's final words would be to his beloved Kate Beckett, and they would haunt her until the day she died. And if Garrison had anything to say about it, that day would come in the not too distant future.

A loaded silence hung over the claustrophobic room, the only sounds being the darts of rain throwing their insistent stings against the roof and the breath of killer and captive nearing their final battle. The silence and Rick's steely gaze were both shattered as Garrison spoke. "I trust you've had a nice rest, Mr. Castle". His voice seemed to boom through the room, and Rick at first squeezed his eyes shut as the pain in his head intensified with the sudden outburst of sound. Castle remained silent, drafting the words he would give to Kate and designing the secret message he would give to her, warning her of Garrison's close proximity. "Please Kate, please don't let him near you", was the thought he had as he staged the scene in his head.

Garrison spoke again, paving the way for Castle to connect with Kate. "It seems like the only thing left for you to do is to tell Detective Beckett how much you'll miss her. Make the most of your words, Writer, because this is going to be your final work."

Castle fairly spat out his words as he said "You won't get to her. Ever. She's stronger than you. Smarter than you."

Garrison simply laughed at Castle's words. "I hope you can be more eloquent than that when I turn this camera on."

Castle decided not to say another word, saving all of his remaining energy for Kate. If his words would be his final gift to her, then he wouldn't waste any of them on Garrison.

Taking his silence as surrender, Garrison strode to Castle, put the camera on the floor, and untied Castle's hands and feet. There was nowhere for the writer to go, no strength for him to push his way by. And he wanted Castle to have full range of expression for his final chapter. As the ropes came off his hands and feet, Castle couldn't believe how much easier this would make his message. He knew he didn't currently have the physical strength to take Garrison down, but he was sure he had what he needed to move just enough to tell Kate what he so desperately had to let her know….that Garrison is too close to her, that he's stalking her. She has to watch her back, be ready. He needed to let Kate know that he had seen the picture of her. If she knew that, she'd know about the stalking and she'd know Garrison was close.

Garrison picked up the camera from the floor. "Are you ready for 'lights, camera, action', Mr. Castle?"

Castle just gazed unwaveringly into Garrison's eyes. He took in a deep breath as he prepared to deliver his message, hoping that he'd do it right.

Garrison aimed the lens at Castle and hit the "record" button on the digital camera as he put the index finger of his free hand to his lips, indicating that Castle should not yet speak. No, Garrison wanted the first word in this work of art. The camera was trained on Castle, filming him sitting against the back wall of the room, now unbound, his head bent forward slightly, his hair falling over his forehead and his eyes looking pained but determined. Garrison's voice narrated, "The final chapter by Richard Castle is about to begin. This draft will be his first and most likely his last. I suggest that you don't delete this video. You'll want to have something to remember him." With that, Garrison reached to put his free hand in front of the lens, signaling a silent 'three, two' with his fingers, and then pointing with a flourish at Castle, indicating that he was "on".

Castle took a deep breath, picked his head up straight, and looked directly into the camera. He looked as strong as he could. He didn't want Kate's final picture of him to be one of his physical pain, though he knew there was no way she wouldn't see the loss in his eyes.

"Kate -" saying her name almost broke him because he wanted to hold her while he said it. "Garrison tells me that this might be the last time I get to talk to you, so I really want to make it count, okay?" He managed to smile for her, wanting her to see something besides sadness. Though if truth be told, that smile would be sadder than any frown could ever be. He reached a hand up to brush his hair away from his eyes and forehead and then rested the hand back in his lap, his legs and feet stretched out in front of him, his back still against the wall. He paused to control the tears that were threatening to fall and exhaled, long and silent, before he began speaking again. "Kate. I need to say this first. Please. I need you to take care of Alexis for me. And my mother. Tell them how much I love them and that I want them to be happy. Hold them when you tell them goodbye for me" A dry sob ripped from his center as he thought of his daughter and mother and how alone they would be. "They have each other, but they're going to need you, your strength, your memories. And you'll need them, too. Don't let yourself be alone." He paused. "I know Ryan and Esposito and Lanie will all be there, too. In fact, I bet they're watching me with you right now." He gave them a cheerless wink and wave. "Stick together guys, and don't' forget that you've all been my family".

Castle put his hands on the floor, and used his hands and feet to inch away from the wall. He now sat with his legs crossed, rested one hand on each knee, and looked again at the camera. "Kate, somehow I just need to keep saying your name. I want to feel close to you, and this is the only way I know how." He looked at his watch, brought his knees up and his put his feet flat on the floor. Now he rested the underside of his forearms on each knee, his wrists and hands folding over each knee, and making his watch visible to the camera. "Kate", he whispered her name. "You have been the most extraordinary woman I could ever have hoped to spend three years with. I'm sorry you have to go through any more pain. You've dealt with more in your lifetime than anyone should ever have to. Please don't blame yourself for this. This is _not_ your fault. Don't ever question yourself as a detective, a friend, a beautiful person." He paused then spoke again with conviction. "You are my heart." He looked down, gave a quick chuckle, and peered back up again. "That really wasn't hard to say at all, and all these years I was so afraid." His brows came together as his smile drifted away, and he bit his lower lip as tears began to drip slowly from the corners of his eyes. "I love you, Kate Beckett, and I don't want you to ever forget that. Please live your life knowing that you have been loved. You are my forever." He couldn't stop his tears but he needed to finish his message. He remained sitting, knees up, but feet stretched out just a little bit in front of him. He put his hands back in his lap, clasping them together. He looked directly into the lens as if it were Kate's eyes. He let his tears fall free and fast, his blue eyes reflecting love and pain. He forced himself to breathe slowly and not to look away. When he was sure she would have seen his tears and his love, he tilted his head back, closed his eyes, shivered, and let his tears run to his strong jaw line. He mirrored the pain Kate was feeling when Garrison took his last photo of her. With his head still tilted, Rick remained silent for a few seconds, hearing the rain pound outside. Not moving his head, he asked "Do you hear the rain? It's the only thing I've been able to hear today besides my own thoughts. At least I've had the pictures of you in my mind. They've helped me feel close to you. So close." Satisfied, he picked his head up, and looked into the camera again. "There's nothing I want more than to hold you close. I love you. I love you, Kate." He stopped for a second, then continued. "I can't say it enough, now, you know? Kate? I love you forever."

Garrison turned the camera off and huffed with disdain. "If you ask me, she's lucky to be rid of you. Well, what can I say? She's not a bright woman."

With that Castle heaved himself up off the ground and lunged for Garrison. Garrison pushed Castle back, surprised that it was more difficult than he expected it to be. He glared at Castle as the writer sat hard on the floor. "Don't even try it, Writer. Unless you don't want her to see your little… oh what should I call it? Confession? Plea? Love note? I'd hate her to miss something so…beautiful". He said the last word with a mocking jeer, turned, and walked out the door to deliver his final video, leaving Castle on the floor, not knowing when the end would come.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I can't believe all of the story alerts, favorite stories, and reviews I'm getting for my first fanfic ever! Thank you all so so much...you make the writing even more fun than it already is! I wanted to be able to post two chapters tonight, but I was just too tired. So, one chapter it is. But I'll be posting another one tomorrow night. Only two or three more to go. I can't wait to see how it all turns out... :o)**

**I don't own Castle...**

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><p>When the door shut behind Garrison, Castle's shoulders slumped, and he put his hands to his face, the heels of his hands sliding up to his eyes. This could not possibly be the last time he would talk to Kate. He had to see her just one more time, touch her face, fold his fingers around hers. He needed to make sure she was okay, make sure she got his message, make sure he could tell her that he meant every word he had said.<p>

He knew deep in his heart that the best his message would do would be to warn Kate that Garrison was near, that she was being stalked. His message would never stop her from coming here. With every fiber of his being, he knew she was searching for him and wouldn't stop until she found him. While it filled his heart to know she would not give up, he didn't want Kate to risk her life to save his. "Just let her be safe", was his silent plea. And as he issued up this final appeal, he made a decision. He could not take any chances on an unanswered prayer. The only thing he could afford to take a chance on now was his own strength, his own action. He had to do something before Kate got here, before she placed herself exactly where Garrison wanted her. With that, his eyes hardened, and his senses heightened. No matter what the cost to himself, he was not going to sit idly by and let Garrison toy with Kate or with him any longer. If Garrison was going to kill him, then he wouldn't go down without a fight. He would spend every last bit of strength he had to keep this killer away from Kate. "If Garrison thinks I'm in no condition to battle", thought Castle, "then he's got another think coming."

Determined as he was, Castle didn't have any advantage whatsoever. He was in this tiny room, with a battered hardwood floor, no windows, and a door that was locked from the outside. There was no furniture, just a completely empty room. And Castle was a sitting duck inside it, in pain and still a bit woozy from the crack to the head that Garrison had delivered this morning. Castle knew he was no match for the business end of that knife, and he was sure Garrison wouldn't be wasting any more time when he came back into this room. Castle had no weapon, only his hands and his imagination. What could he do to fight back, to stop Garrison? He had to figure it out fast. He was sure Garrison was somewhere in this building or nearby delivering the video to Kate. Castle might have only minutes before he came back. He had to act quickly. His mind started to work. With his head throbbing and with waves of nausea still trying to roll over him, he finally came up with an idea.

xxxxx

As soon as Kate clicked "play" on the video, she knew this one was different. She knew this would be the last video she would receive. She knew Rick was saying goodbye. The first thing she saw was Rick sitting in the corner of the room, awake and looking down. And then she heard Garrison's introduction. She drew in a shaky breath, unwilling to believe that she was hearing Castle's last words. Ryan and Esposito shifted closer to stand shoulder to shoulder with her and watch the video as well. The three watched and listened in disbelief as Castle bravely asked Kate to take care of his family, asked her not to let herself be alone, and told their whole team that they were his family. Ryan choked back a muffled sob, and Esposito said silently, "Castle, you'll always be our man. We'll stick with her, bro, don't worry."

And then Castle's words were only for Kate. As he began speaking to her, pouring all he had out to her, Ryan and Esposito stepped back to give her some privacy, knowing that this would be the hardest thing Kate would ever have to witness. Kate watched, hands grasping the edge of her desk, taking in every heartfelt word Castle said. She watched intently, trying to imprint each and every moment in her heart. If it was possible, her heart was filling, soaring, and breaking all at the same time. In those few moments, Rick and his words were the only things that existed for her. If she could have reached out to him and grabbed him to her, she would have. Instead, her body trembled silently as she fought to keep from letting the tears go, fought to regain her composure, fought to recapture her ability to see beyond Rick's words so that she could find any sort of hint of what was to come, what was going to happen. As the video came to a close, and Castle's final words washed over her, it took everything she had just to stand. But although she felt like her breath were being sucked from her body, she rejected her tears, snubbed defeat. She could almost feel the tingle of Castle's breath as he said her name, almost believed she could reach out to him and draw him close. She knew she would never give up, never let this man go.

The video went dark. She stood for a moment, staring at the screen, not believing it was the end, willing Rick to come back into view, to hear his voice one more time. She knew that wish was futile, though, and with that realization came an anger like she had never felt before. Her hands fell to her sides and wrapped themselves into fists. Her face grew pink as she felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "NO!" she screamed, hurling all of her hatred for Garrison out of her chest and removing any last vestiges of fear. If Castle were already gone, she would surely feel it. She would know. No, Castle was still alive, and damnit, he was going to stay that way.

"I need to watch it again," she stated.

Ryan and Esposito came to stand behind her, and Esposito put his hands on her shoulders, thinking she was distraught. "Beckett, we don't have time. We need to go there. Now."

"No, no! Don't you see? He's sending us a message. He's trying to tell me something. He's speaking to us with more than his words. We're playing it again. Watch him." With that command, she hit "play", and for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, she forced her emotions onto a shelf and re-watched Rick's scene with scrutiny rather than with her heart. As the video played, she said "There!" and hit pause. "He's showing us his watch. He would never just look at his watch in the middle of a speech like that. He wants us to know what time it is." She zoomed in on his wrist. "Look, his watch reads 8:05pm. It coincides with the time stamp on the video file. He wants to make sure we know exactly what time it was when Garrison shot this." She hit 'play' again and watched every move closely, with different eyes than she had before. She tuned out his words and simply watched his body, the way he moved, the way he sat. As he looked into the camera and cried, Kate felt her steadfastness shaking, but she held on, knowing the moment would be brief. He was trying to get something across to her. She watched as Rick stretched his feet out just a bit in front of him, knees up, hands clasped in his lap. He let his tears fall, then he tilted his head back, shivered slightly. She saw the tears run to his jaw line. "Do you hear the rain?" she heard him ask. And then it hit her. "That's it. Right there!" She paused the video again and stared at the picture of Rick in the exact same position she had been in when she was crying in front of his loft earlier that night, trying to pull herself together before coming back to the precinct. Ryan and Esposito were not privy to her brief collapse, so she admitted to them, "That's the exact same way I was sitting outside Castle's loft just before I came back here. I needed a couple of minutes, and I sat there, in the rain, and I -" Her voice drifted off. She didn't need to continue. Ryan and Esposito knew what she was about to say.

"But how does Castle know that?" asked Ryan.

"It's Garrison. He must be watching me, taking pictures. He's watching my every move, making sure I'm as upset as he wants me to be. And he's letting Castle see me, see me like I'm seeing him. Oh God, Castle. I'm so sorry." At that moment, she realized Castle was trying to warn her that Garrison was stalking her. But he was also trying to tell her that he knew he was being held close by, even though he probably didn't know the exact location.

She remembered Castle showing his watch. "There must have been time stamps on the pictures Garrison took of me. When Castle saw them, he would have looked to see what time it was when Garrison gave him the pictures. He would have compared the times right away and seen that the time stamp on the picture was very close to the time Garrison was showing it to him. It can't have been more than a 25 or 30 minute time difference." Everything started to come together, and Kate was again struck by the courage of Rick Castle. "He's doing everything he can to let me know that he and Garrison are close by and that Garrison is stalking me." She paused and her voice became quiet. "He's trying to protect me, even now."

She clicked the video off, and said. "This is it. Let's go." She made sure her gun was in place, grabbed her keys, and headed for the door. Ryan and Esposito followed. The three detectives were on their way to the battered little room where Castle was besieged with the task of figuring out how to outwit Jonathan Garrison.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you again, everyone...I've had some amazingly inspiring reviews, and I really appreciate every single one of them. Here is Chapter 10...This could serve as the final chapter, unless anyone feels like they need an epilogue...what say you?**

**I don't own Castle...**

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><p>Kate Beckett flew out of the bullpen and to the elevator, making a dash for her car as soon as she was delivered to the first floor. Ryan and Esposito were right behind her, and jumped into their car as she sped off in hers. They had the address of Garrison's sister, which was only two blocks from Castle's loft. It was no wonder Garrison could be so quick with his stalking and his torment. He was right under their noses the whole time. Kate was furious that Castle had been so close all this time and she hadn't been able to figure it out sooner. If he did not survive she would never forgive herself, and she believed she would never fully recover if Castle were lost to her. Over these past three years he hadn't just captured her heart, he had made room for her soul within his, and she would always feel at home there.<p>

She stepped harder on the gas, pushing into traffic as fast as she dared on New York City's streets. Ryan and Esposito stayed close behind, matching each turn she made. They did not put their lights or sirens on, but sped stealthily through the city streets to reach Rick Castle. When they got within a block of Castle's loft, Kate slid into a spot in front of a fire hydrant, and Ryan and Esposito did the same several car lengths away. The three got out of their vehicles, donned their Kevlar, and grouped together on the sidewalk. They parked so far away because they wanted to take Garrison by surprise, if that was possible, if he weren't watching, waiting for this. They confirmed their plan before breaking into a run for the remaining three blocks, Kate going the direct way, and Ryan and Esposito taking a more circuitous route that would bring them out on the far side of the block where Castle was being held. At least they knew there was no way Garrison could watch all three of them at once if he had indeed spotted them. But there are always unknowns in situations like this, and these unknowns are something that every police officer must be ready to face.

xxxxx

Once Garrison had delivered the final video to Beckett, he had stood at his sister's computer and laughed. He laughed at Castle's words, and he laughed at how he imagined Kate Beckett would react. He imagined her tears, her sadness, her determined rush to get to Castle as soon as the video was over. He could only assume, could only hope, that she had figured out where Castle was being kept. He had left her an obvious enough clue, one that he was sure she would have puzzled out by now. And he was ready. He was ready with a plan to make all his waiting worthwhile. When the precious Kate Beckett arrived, he would lead her into his trap and force her to confront her worst fear – the loss of her Richard Castle. And when he was sure she had seen enough, he would deliver the pièce de resistance, snuffing out the fire that resided in Kate Beckett's eyes. All he had to do now was wait. But there are always unknowns in situations like this, and hubris is a fatal flaw.

xxxxx

Rick Castle smiled the moment the idea sprang into his mind. Garrison would never see any sort of attack coming, and the element of surprise would work in Castle's favor. It had to, because this plan could in no way be considered fool proof. Rick was banking on surprise, human instinct, and good fortune to give him the upper hand, or at least a hand that was at the same height as Garrison's. The idea formulated quickly as soon as the initial idea presented itself to him, and Rick Castle set about putting it into action without hesitation. He had no time to doubt, no time to question, only time to scramble to get everything ready. He pushed himself up from the floor, moaning as shards of pain sliced through his head when he stood. He had to take a few precious seconds to steady himself before he could move over to a spot next to the door without feeling as though the spinning room was going to get the best of him. He reached the door, and sat down against the wall next to it. His fingers worked tirelessly until he had what he needed. In this already battered little room, Garrison would never notice this tiny spot behind the door. Once he held what he had set out to take, Castle stood up again. This time when he rose from the floor, he felt less pain, possibly because he knew what to expect or possibly because hope was making him feel just that much better. He walked steadily back to the rear wall, sat back down in his place, crossed his legs, and waited. He took one last glance at the time before removing his watch. Castle always expected the unknown, lived his life writing about it. And in this instance, he was waiting for it, anticipating the unknown with every breath he took. Because whatever the unknown, he would fight back. With everything at stake, everything laid on the line, he would not give up.

xxxxx

Garrison turned off the computer and left the tiny office in his sister's apartment. This was the only video he had sent from a private computer, but he didn't care. He wanted Kate Beckett to track him easily now. If she hadn't been sharp enough to figure out his clue in the Nikki Heat book, then he was sure she couldn't possibly miss this. He laughed again and headed outside to wait and watch, wondering how long it would be before Kate Beckett came running down the rain-soaked street toward this apartment, toward Castle, toward her own fate. He stood in the shadows and clutched the ivory handle of his weapon firmly, holding it down by the outside of his thigh. Several minutes ticked by, and he wondered whether Kate Beckett would live up to her reputation as the best police detective in New York City. His hand twitched, and just as he was about to make a new plan, he saw a thin figure loping silently down the sidewalk toward the building. Though she was still twos block away, there was no mistaking the identity of this determined woman. The way she stuck to the shadows, hugging the sides of the buildings as she ran steadily, silently down the street, he knew this could be none other than the detective herself, come to play the heroine once again. He turned and stole back into his sister's home, heading directly for the room where Castle was waiting on the splintered wooden floor. Garrison threw the lock and opened the door to the room, knowing that in just a few short moments, Kate Beckett would burst in, or perhaps sneak in, behind him. However she arrived, it would be of no use to Richard Castle. Grasping the cool ivory handle tight in his murderous fist, Garrison entered the room.

xxxxx

As Rick sat on the floor, every one of his senses was on alert to the movements of Jonathan Garrison. Castle breathed slowly and quietly, listening intently. He smiled when he heard the slightest of movements from what sounded like a door, possibly upstairs. He knew Garrison was on his way, and he only had a few seconds to do what he had to do. He quickly set the alarm on his watch to go off in exactly two minutes. That done, he took aim and deftly skidded it across the floor, watching it come to a stop against the wall next to the door, exactly where he had been sitting mere moments ago. He put his right hand into his jacket pocket and wrapped his fingers around the thin strip of splintered wood he had pried off of the shabby floor. He cast his eyes downward and bent his head forward just as Jonathan Garrison entered the room. It took only three steps before Garrison was looming over Castle, ordering him to look up. When Castle obeyed, what he saw in Garrison's eyes terrified him. Castle had never seen such venom, and the sight shook him to the core. Castle swallowed his fear as he thought about Kate and how this could not be their end before they even had a chance to begin. He would not leave her, and he would not allow her to fall at the hands of this depraved man. Castle looked at Garrison, and with a steady voice asked him, "What do you want with me now, Garrison?"

Garrison nearly roared at the nerve Rick Castle dared to show from his place on the floor. He stood over his captive and dangled the knife from his fingers, letting it sway in front of Castle's face. "I want nothing more than to see you suffer, Writer, but I'm going to have to be patient for just a few minutes more. It seems your heroine is not in as much of a rush as I'd hoped she'd be." He sighed dramatically and continued. "She does look quite fit, though, running down the street."

Castle's breath caught briefly in his throat as soon as he realized that Kate was on her way, that she would be facing Garrison at any moment. He had to keep Garrison talking, keep him distracted. His plan had to work. "She won't fall for whatever it is you have planned. She's too smart for that."

"You'd better be careful not to show too much pride in her, Castle. That only makes me want this more."

"I don't really care what it makes you, Garrison. You're going to get far more than what you're bargaining for tonight."

"Doubtful. There's nothing Kate Beckett could do that I haven't seen every other lovesick heroine cop try to do when faced with the loss she'll experience tonight."

Castle caught Garrison's gaze and held it, knowing it would be just a few seconds more until…

A loud beeping from inside the room behind the door broke the angry glare Garrison had leveled at Rick Castle. The alarm on Castle's watch severed Garrison's focus. As he jumped and instinctively whipped his head around to find the source of the noise, Castle took his chance. He lunged at Garrison's back, wielding the sliver of wood he held tight in his hand. As the huge splinter pierced his shoulder blade, Garrison reared back and howled. He clutched at his back and spun around, his eyes wild with rage.

xxxxx

Kate had entered the apartment silently, all her senses on alert. She heard angry voices coming from somewhere below her, and she crept slowly toward the basement stairs. She descended with agonizing slowness as Rick Castle's voice became her beacon in the dark building. She saw the light spilling into the basement and headed toward the open doorway. She paused just outside, not yet seen by either captive or captor. She could hear Castle telling Garrison he would get more than he was bargaining for. She heard Garrison's threatening reply. And then she heard nothing but silence. What was happening? Was Rick okay? She inched closer to the doorway, ready to dive into the room and take Garrison down when suddenly a loud beeping could be heard just inches from where she stood. She froze, her police training having skillfully conditioned her to process quickly before jumping in. In the moment of stillness, she heard a rush of sound and a guttural howl. She knew that one of the two men had just been attacked, and she wouldn't wait a second more to see which one of them it was. She flew into the room in time to see Garrison's wild eyes as he turned to face Castle. As he turned, Kate saw the piece of wood protruding from Garrison's back and knew that Castle had made a valiant effort but that it wouldn't be enough. Just as the thought entered her mind, Garrison wheeled, and with the viciousness of an abused dog, he grabbed Castle by the shirt collar and spun him around, putting him in a headlock with the ivory-handled knife pressing against Rick's throat.

"Garrison, drop the knife! Now!" screamed Kate, raising and steadying her gun.

"Not on your life, Detective, Beckett" he spat.

Castle's eyes were wide in fear – both for his own life and for Kate's. He felt the sting of the blade resting against his skin and felt the slightest warm trickle run down his neck.

"I'm warning you, put the knife down. Let him go."

"Detective Beckett", Garrison said calmly, "I am not here to agree to any of your demands. I am here to find justice."

"Justice? How is this justice for anyone?" She tried to keep Garrison talking, hoping to stall for time so that Ryan and Esposito would have a chance to get there. Garrison had been watching _her_, waiting for _her_. Ryan and Esposito would be the furthest thing from his mind right now.

Garrison seethed as she asked her question; and as he answered, Kate watched Rick closely, willing him to stand strong, to keep his eyes on her, to understand that back-up was on the way. She would not let him down. She saw terror in the eyes of the man she so desperately wanted to protect, who was sacrificing his own safety to keep her from harm.

Garrison began, "Justice comes every time I see one of you fall, every time I end the happiness for one of you, you who think you know what justice is."

"What are you talking about?" Kate demanded, keeping him talking, keeping him off-guard.

"_What are you talking about_?" Garrison mimicked. "I am talking about my father. He went to jail twenty years ago for a crime he didn't commit. He died in his god-forsaken cell fifteen years ago, and my mother was broken. The love of her life was taken from her, and my family was ruined. That, Detective, is not justice, but _this_ is." Garrison moved to inflict more pain on Castle.

Castle groaned as he felt the hold on him tighten, felt the heat of Garrison's anger emanating from the man's very being.

Kate yelled, "One more move, Garrison, and I take you out."

"One more move, Detective, and I take your writer out. Got it?"

Kate heard a light tapping on the wall she was standing next to, and she knew Ryan and Esposito were there, had been listening, were waiting to be able to get a shot at the man who was holding Castle. Garrison hadn't heard the tapping, and was completely unaware of their presence. Kate Beckett slowly started to move into the room a little bit more, having to take the risk, betting on the hunch that Garrison would not make good on his threat quite yet.

"Stop right there!" Garrison shouted.

"I'm not coming any closer, Garrison. I just… I need…." Kate decided that the only way Garrison would calm down would be if he felt he was winning, saw her in emotional pain. She dropped her gun down by her side and continued. "Let me talk to him, then, just one more time."

Garrison laughed and looked down at the man he held in a painful headlock. "Just like all the rest. You have to have your one last chance to say goodbye, don't you? Well maybe I don't want to give it to you. Maybe I don't think you deserve that little bit of closure." Kate's plea was going to work. Garrison was going to move. As he spewed his final words, Garrison shoved Castle out to his arm's length and raised his knife. In the split second that Garrison took to raise his arm and ready himself to strike, Ryan had moved into the room with the stealth of a cat. He took aim and fired, bringing Garrison down with one shot. Garrison's hold loosed from Rick as the shot reached him. Garrison fell back and Rick stumbled forward. The jolt sent waves of pain into his head, and he could only sink to the floor. Esposito stepped in behind Ryan as the shot rang out, and they both went instantly to Garrison.

Kate dropped her gun and fell to her knees in front of Castle. A primal sound, somewhere between a moan and a cry, escaped from her lips as she reached out to grab him. "Rick - " Everything she had been holding back released from her as she held him tightly. One arm wrapped around him, her other hand reached up to hold the back of his head, and she sobbed deeply. Rick held her with every bit of strength he had, running his hand down her hair, caressing her softly. After a few moments, they let go just enough to look into each other's eyes. Rick placed one hand on either side of Kate's face as she reached out to brush the hair from his forehead and lightly run her fingers over the cut that was still visible on his mouth. Her eyes moved to the cut on his head, and filled once again with tears. She let them spill as he pulled her close once more. "I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you."

"Shhh", he responded. "I'm here, Kate.' He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, "Always."

Kate cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "I love you, Rick. You are my heart, my forever.

Recognizing his own words from earlier that night, he closed his eyes, drew Kate in close, and kissed her gently on the lips. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with the tenderness of a soul that had finally found its home.


End file.
